Evaluating High-Upside Prospects who Could Land Outside the NBA Draft’s Lottery

Assessing which players could have star power at the '26 draft.

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) with the ball in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The 2026 NBA Draft is less than a week away, and teams are likely finalizing who they'll select to infuse their teams with talent.

Each year, there's a handful of players who slide outside the lottery and beyond despite some indicators that they could have a high-end outcome. Here's a few high-upside prospects who could still offer star-power despite their ranking:

Dailyn Swain, Texas

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Texas’s Dailyn Swain has long been on NBA Draft radars, though more in a role player capacity via his time at Xavier. He broke out with the Longhorns, showing real upside as an on-ball creator.

Swain averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals, able to attack the rim with a combination of athleticism and handling ability.

With how elite he was in the pick-and-roll and isolation at 6-foot-8, there’s a good chance he’ll be able to continue to tap into that ability at the next level.

Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky

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There’s a chance Jayden Quaintance is selected in the lottery due to his immense upside as a defender and play-finisher, though his knee injury makes him a question mark heading into draft night.

At just 17, Quaintance showed two-way potential in the form of 3.7 steals and blocks combined per game, but has only seen the floor in limited time since.

If he does go outside the first 14, he’ll have a better chance than most at stardom if he can return to his athletic peak.

Ebuka Okorie, Stanford

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Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie tried his best to break into the top guard group, averaging a blistering 23.2 points in functioning as one of the best scorers in college basketball. Despite that, he likely still didn’t do so given the depth of the lottery prospects.

Still, Okorie has upside in his ability to pressure the rim, command the ball without turning it over, as well as good defense for his size and position.

He has some of the best athletic tools for a guard in the class, and could tap into those at the NBA as well.

Koa Peat, Arizona

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Koa Peat has all the tools in his arsenal to become a productive NBA player, or potentially even a star considering his outlier strength. He can score on the interior, handle better than most his size, and adds rebounding and passing.

His achilles heel is his 3-point shooting, which is so far non-existent via a rougher shot-form.

Still, if teams are certain he can develop his outside shooting, there’s plenty of reasons to bank on him outside the lottery.